2020 Candidate Questionnaire

Candidate for Miami-Dade County
District 9

Johnny G. Farias

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How often do you find yourself walking, biking or using public transit?

If you mainly drive, what do you see as the barriers for yourself and our community to move away from car dependency?

Johnny G. Farias

I am a working electrician and I don’t have the freedom to free myself from my truck. But for working people, the connectivity from their homes to main transit hubs is the main barrier.

What would be your top actions to create a better public transit system?
List up to 5.

Johnny G. Farias

1. Rail, rail and rail

2. Synchronization of our traffic lights to a smart system.

3. Advocate for lower tolls/remove tools

4. Cable cars, which have been used in San Francisco for over 100 years

5. Include ordinances that requires a level of connectivity from municipality trolleys to the county’s
public transit system.

What would be your top actions to create safer streets for walking and biking?
List up to 5.

Johnny G. Farias

1. Buffer zones for sidewalks

2. Add bicycle lanes in areas that only have the space to add bicycle lanes

Two out of three transit riders rely on the bus system.
How would you improve the system we have today and attract new riders?

Johnny G. Farias

Connectivity and more connectivity

Miami-Dade County has mass transit expansion plans dating back decades. What is your vision to fund and deliver transit infrastructure?

Johnny G. Farias

​Elected leaders get elected to make priority decisions and transit infrastructure like rail will be my top priorities. Budgets define a politician's values and values present what they care about.

Multiple administrative and political entities are responsible for the planning, funding and operations of our public transportation. Would you change the transportation governance structure, and if so, how?

Johnny G. Farias

Would you change the transportation governance structure, and if so, how? ​There are many moving parts to Miami-Dade County’s transportation governance and funding but leaders lead on issues. My vision to this fractured governance and funding is simple: Lead on the issues and foster an intergovernmental relationship with all the stakeholders. That’s the only effective way to tackle this governance structure.

In your opinion, what has Miami-Dade County done right and gotten wrong with regards to our transportation policies, actions and objectives during the past decade? You may describe your involvement, if applicable.

Johnny G. Farias

There is not enough paper and ink to tackle the wrong, missed or mismanagement of transit policies in Miami-Dade County but there is a success.

The wrong decisions:

  • Miami-Dade county was delirect in not applying for the available federal dollars to replace the bus fleet twice in the last two decades
  • Miami-Dade county was delirect in not applying for the available federal dollars to replace the metrorail care twice in the last two decades
  • The 1⁄2 penny tax mismanagement of $3 billion is the most egregious government failure in the history of Miami-Dade county.

The right decisions:

  • Extending metrorail to Miami International Airport.
The candidate chose to answer this optional question.

How would you incorporate equity into your transportation agenda?

Johnny G. Farias

​I will incorporate equity like I always have: By modeling it in my hiring practices.

The candidate chose to answer this optional question.

How would you proactively integrate land use policies into your transportation agenda?

Johnny G. Farias
The candidate chose to answer this optional question.

How would you address coordination between local municipal transit services and countywide services?

Johnny G. Farias

This one the most pressing issue in our fractured transportation system. Amend the ordinance to require a level of connectivity from municipal transit services to countywide services.

Candidate for Miami-Dade County
District 9

Johnny G. Farias

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